Mika Brzezinski: ‘I could count on’ food

In a new interview in the May 2013 issue of MORE magazine, Mika Brzezinski opens up about how she’s had a difficult relationship with food over the years. The “Morning Joe” co-host, who makes the topic of food and obesity a recurring feature on the MSNBC morning program, explained how her eating disorder took hold.

MORE, referencing Mika’s forthcoming book, “Obsessed,” asks Brzezinski about trying to be bulimic, which she says she wasn’t “really good at”.

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“I was terrible. My eyes got really red, and I knew I was hurting my teeth. … There were these constant stupid negotiations with myself: ‘I can eat the Domino’s pizza if I run 10 miles afterward.’ That’s what I’d do after binging—go for punishing runs.”

Brzezinski says she was reluctant to open up about her struggles.

“Never. It was too embarrassing. [As] the youngest in a brilliant family …I thought eating was something I could control, unlike what I felt was a lack of intellect. … The subject is still so embarrassing for me, but I am just hoping people will read this book and, if they have a problem, seek help. I wish I’d dealt with this problem much earlier, because obsessing about food is a terrible waste of time. I never want my daughters to spend so much of their lives consumed by this.”

She described one particular lunch with co-host Joe Scarborough, in which her problem manifested itself.

“There was some big, gross breaded chicken stuffed with cheese, along with fried potatoes. Joe looked away for one minute. By the time he looked back, I had inhaled the plate. …Food was the thing I could count on. Food always loved me back.”